


Man----Your Pride

by Sing



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: F/M, FIx It, Feels, Healing wounds, Love, Romance, Songfic, g-rated smut, ichabbie - Freeform, if not stronger, love is strong as death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6651985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sing/pseuds/Sing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abbie tries to walk away, to tell him goodbye. Ichabod staunchly refuses to let go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Man----Your Pride

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Sleepy Hollow.
> 
> Song is Kiss it Better by Rihanna.
> 
> leave your thoughts!

"Not goodbye, just, until we meet again," Abbie smiles, "You're my guy. Always" she raises her hand for a fist bump. It's colder than she wants to be with him, to be honest, but its too cruel a thing to give in to something deeper now, even though by right she should DEMAND it, there can't be consequences now, as it is. She's....she's preparing to cross over. But that doesn't stop him when he catches her hand and presses his lips to the back of it. "My my, be still my beating heart," she whispers, smiling slightly but aching inside. This bastard, she thinks.This....this....oh God, what does one CALL Ichabod Crane? Besides every shade of flighty under the sun? Besides cowardly in matter of the heart and governed by propriety and too afraid of things getting to real that even now, this last juncture between them he cannot utter the words--she can't either but that's beside the point---because he knows he gave her doubts to begin with when he ran off for nine months. And she had another ten playing make believe....if she's being honest Abbie hasn't been whole since that return trip, no matter how many other things fell into place in her final moments....she'd been sensing a draw to go back. Pandora knew it....the box knew.

Problem was, Abbie WAS love. She is made of it. A love so deep it scared her. A love so deep it haunted her. A love so deep she feared when it would rear its head and blindside her entirely. When she betrayed Jenny as children, she had loved her sister so much she had pleaded with her to lie, to join her in cowardice. She had loved Jenny so much the separation from had haunted her to no end. She had loved Corbin so much his loss nearly shredded her inside, the only father figure she had known until Crane interrupted her emotional demise with his higher callings and magic bibles and---oh ho ho---Abbie laughs to herself the love she has for this man. It drew her into the oblivion of that tree the first time.

Threatened her with madness in the catacombs.

It niggled her brain even while he had been away. The love within Abbie was too great, a swelling, unrelenting thing that just wanted to be accepted. She was brimming with so much care, and duty, and love it HURT. No matter how much she gave to Danny, to Jenny, it just kept building up inside her, and if only Crane would open the gates she could flood him with it.

But instead, the box had heard her. Had offered to accept the wealth of love pooling inside her and offered to give to the world, to put it somewhere, and the world would take this love and survive, and live. The box would accept all of this feeling and give it to the world for salvation.

Pandora had been right, in her final moments, taunting Crane. She was his everything, his hope.

For where there is love, there is hope.

So now, at last feeling, empty, void, enough to float, free enough to go on her way, for Crane to begin, stirring her up again, pouring little droplets back into her pail, it seems righteously unfair of him.

After all, already being dead--there's no void to pour this love TO if she develops this overflowing problem again. She'll become haunted, she's sure, she'll get spit back down into the earth as a tormented thing. So when he ducks into his graceful sweeping bow, she escapes.

She thinks she does, anyway.

Some tether sucks her back down onto the porch so hard she goes through it, falling back through the masonic cell, back through the jail cell, through the precinct, her office at the bureau, through the catacombs, through the archives and sprawls her back in the her bedroom. Crane is sitting on the edge of the bed there, head bowed. Candle light dances in the dark corners.

She balls her fists and is about to rail at him. "Don't tell me Crane after all that you couldn't even last one, day." she spits angrily. He raises his head slowly, meeting her gaze.

"I haven't gone, Abbie. I'm not going back without you."

"It's a little late for that now--"

He rises so swiftly and gets in her face so fast she stumbles, staggering backward and her foot easily glides through the floorboards, she begins sinking down to the first floor when he hooks his arms around her and she solidifies entirely in his embrace.

"Where you go I go." he echoes. "And since I refuse to leave you here, you're going to be coming back with me,"

"Crane---"

"I would do anything, Abbie, to turn back time. Anything. But since I cannot, I can alter the future. I do not accept this, I refuse to."

"I can't....come back, Crane. My....I gave my everything to the world, I'm...I'm a shell now, that's why I need to move on,"

"If your vessel is empty I will fill it."he whisper fiercely and she swallows.

"With what," she barks.

"Anything. Whatever it takes."

"You can't give enough to bring me back Crane. If you couldn't contain it when I was living, there's no way you have enough in you to give to resurrect me---what, what are you willing to do?"

"I am sorry I have always been so slow, too late, too cowardly, for you." he releases her and begins to sink to his knees. "I don't deserve you, never have, I can't hope to be worthy, but I will have you back on earth among the living lieutenant, regardless of whether or not you'll have me," he takes her hand in his and begins kissing each finger tip.

The ragged edges of Abbie, the void, the tears left behind from having her abundant love and care torn from her, of all the damn things, begin to....tingle. Like they're actually, thinking of mending again. Like the cavernous wound that once housed everything she was....would dare allow itself to be....what---

 _Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_

He grabs the other hand, repeating the process. Kisses her wrists.

"I will do anything," he vows solemnly, standing again, brushing his thumb across her face.

"Crane, stop, because if you can't, I'm gonna have to face the consequences of it after."

"I love you,"

A violent pain lances through her like a maliciously jabbed threaded needle. It continues to work into her, zinging back and forth, stitching. Damnit it, she curses. He braces her against him, turns her face back to his, kisses her forehead, down the bridge of her nose. Abbie tries to regulate her breathing even though she doesn't need it.

"I love you, Grace, Abigail, Mills. Forgive me not saying it sooner." his lips touch hers, once, twice, before sealing completely. one hand to her chin, the other wrapped around her waist.

When he parts her lips with his tongue Abbie moans, two separate reasons, because she's longed to do this, and also because that needle is moving again, quickly, it just thrust somewhere in her abdomen, sews that hole up quick, lances somewhere else.

 _Been waiting on that sunshine_  
_Boy, I think I need that back_  
_Can't do it like that_  
_No one else gon' get it like that_

"Crane, please," she gasps, for every bit of pleasure she feels there is the pain of mending. Sheer disbelief crowds her brain. This moron means to do it, he thinks he's going to love her back to life. He's going to fill her with love.

_So why argue? You yell, but you take me back_   
_Who cares when it feels like crack?_

Why on earth did she never throw away all constraints and boundaries and pounce on him while she lived? She levels out enough to respond, pushing him against the bed until his knees buckle and he sits down, her landing on top of him. His hands begin to rove over her behind and then he pauses.

Abbie sighs inwardly, here it comes, the hemming and hawing of her virtue---even in death he will revere her.

_Man, fuck your pride, just take it on back, boy_

He surprises her when he rolls them over. Looks down at her with hungry eyes and his hands move to the button on her jeans. She nods.

 _Take it on back boy, take it back all night_  
_Just take it on back, take it on back_  
_Mmm, do what you gotta do, keep me up all night_  
_Hurting vibe, man, and it hurts inside when I look you in your eye_

She arches her hips so he can slide her pants off, fiddling a moment with her shoes before he peers down at her again. Why couldn't we do this before, she thinks, stung with the memory of so many lost moments like this, and just like that she tears again, somewhere inside her that was just beginning to heal rips. The hurt is too strong, the void to great she thinks, he can never give me enough---

 _What are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_  
_Oh, what are you willing to do?_

But he tries. Each kiss burns. His fingers gliding across her skin as he hooks his thumbs in her underwear, toying with the fabric a moment before he settles back, removing his shirt and helps Abbie to sweep hers over her head. She makes quick short work of her bra.

 _Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_

Every attention comes with once more the pain of mending but it stops being distracting and starts making it sweet. A bite for every glide of tongue and graze of fingers, her body begins to light up as he lavishes her with attention. So slowly. So deeply.

 _Been waiting on that sunshine_  
_Boy, I think I need that back_  
_Can't do it like that_  
_No one else gonna get it like that_  
_So why argue? You yell, had to take me back_  
_Who cares when it feels like crack?_  
_Boy, you know that you always do it right_

She screams when he unravels her the first time, flexing around his expert fingers. "I love you. Take all of me," he whispers. So she drinks, takes in everything he gives her, revels in each sensation darts her tongue in his mouth and tastes herself and doesn't care.

"I need you" she says at last. "Crane,"

Once inside, he moves tentatively.

"Please, Ichabod, I...." she feels a knot being made in her core, tying off another tear. "I love you,"

 _Man, fuck your pride, just take it on back, boy_  
_Take it on back boy, take it back all night_  
_Just take it on back, take it on back_  
_Mmm, do what you gotta do, keep me up all night_  
_Hurting vibe, man, and it hurts inside when I look you in your eye_

He pushes in, long, deep strokes, driving her mad. His eyes never leave hers, and she sees the regret in them---that he knows he should have done this sooner--loved her wholly and completely, but in his eyes there is also a promise. When she's back, he will love her so hard she won't know what to do with it.

 _What are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_  
_Oh, what are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_

"Faster, Ichabod, faster"

 _I've been waiting up all night_  
_Baby, tell me what's wrong_  
_Go on and make it right_  
_Make it all night long_  
_I've been waiting up all night_  
_Baby, tell me what's wrong_  
_Go on and make it right_  
_Make it all night long_

"Yes," she gasps. "Yes" a sharp sting, that's the final one, don't ask how she knows, but that's the last suture of her being getting sewed up. He slows down, just a bit, oh, but he's good she thinks, before he begins building up again, trying to draw this out.

 

_Man, fuck your pride, just take it on back_

"I am yours," he groans. "Have been. In entirety. Always. For. Eternity."

 _Just take it on back bae, take it back all night_  
_Just take it on back, take it on back_  
_Mmm, do what you gotta do, keep me up all night_  
_Hurting vibe, and it hurts inside when I look you in your eye_

"Give it to me Crane,"

 _What are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_  
_Oh, what are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_  
_What are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better, baby_  
_Oh, what are you willing to do?_  
_Oh, (tell me baby) tell me what you're willing to do?_  
_Kiss it, kiss it better baby_

She screams his name happily at last, and he follows close behind her. Then the world goes black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She wakes up. In his arms. His naked body twined around hers.

"Crane,"

"My Love." he kisses her shoulder. "My Hope, my Everything," he murmurs. "I will never leave you again. I will never let harm come to you,"

"Crane,"

"I love you, Abbie. Every part of me. You are returned, and I will never let you go."

"I love you, Ichabod."

And he makes love to her again. Joyously. Slowly. Deeply.

Well.

Love truly is strong as death.

If not stronger.


End file.
